Cigar-vending machine.



R. 0. HOFFMAN.

CIGAR VENDING MACHINE. woman FILED mmzz. 191a.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

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R. 0 HOFFMAN.

CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.22.19I6.

1,2059% Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

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CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.22. 191s.

EINITED STATES; PATENT @FFTQE.

ROBERT O. HOFFMAN, OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 0F ONE-TWELFTH TO THOS. E. BIRD, OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, TWO- SIXTHS TO MOSES IRALSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ONE-TWELFTH TO THE DELTA CIGAR & VENDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF DELTA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO, AND ONE-HALF TO THE CIGAR VENDER SALES COMPANY, OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA,

A CORPORATION.

CIGAR-VENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1915.

Application filed March 22, i916. Serial No. 85,859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT O. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Hinds, State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Cigar-Vending Machine; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the art of vende ing machines, and particularly to an im proved coin controlled machine for vending cigars and the like. I

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved machine of this kind having simple, eiiicient and practical fea tures of construction over the construction of the vending machine set forth and claimed in the patent issued to Robert O. Hoflman, April 6, 1915, Patent No. 1,134,742.

One of the features of construction is the provision of a cigar delivering slide for delivering a cigar first from one compartment, and then from another. 1

Another feature of the invention is the provision of an improved detent designed to be partially actuated by a coin, so as to release the slide, which in turn, by virtue of a cam on the slide further actuates the detent to release the coin.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a supporting plate for supporting one end of each cigar prior to moving the slide, and after having moved the slide, the supported end of the cigar is released from the plate, and is delivered lat erally from the machine.

In practical fields the details of construction may necessitate alterations, falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as-hereinafter set forth, shownin the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the improved cigar vending machine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line '33 of Fig. 2, showing one position of the cigar delivering slide.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another position of the cigar delivering slide. Fig. 5 isa vertical sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the coin chute, and showing the plunger in elevation, for actuating the coin so that the coin will partially release the detent. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a part of the coin chute and a portion of the detent showing the coin in dotted lines.

Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 designates the lower portion of the casing of the cigar vending machine and 2 the upwardly rising restricted portion, which comprises side parts 3 having the flanges f, and between which side parts and the flanges at thereof the usual cigar box 5 is arranged, the flanges 1 acting to prevent backward and forward movement of the box. The cigar box 5 is provided with a partition 6, so as to form two compartments in the box. Prior to arranging the cigar box in position one of its end pieces is detached, so that the cigars in the compartments may move downwardly. Adjacent where the upper part 2 rises from the lower portion of the casing front and rear pieces of glass 7 and 8 are arranged in the guides 9, there being a center-piece of glass 10, which acts as a continuation of the partition 6. The pieces of glass 7 and 8 act as continuations of the parts 11 of the cigar box, when arranged in position. A cover 12 is provided for the upper part 2 of the casing, and which rests upon the heading 13. Secured to the under face of the cover by means of screws 14: is a wood plate or piece 15. Countersunk in the wood piece or plate 15 upon its upper face is a metal plate 16, which is secured to said plate 15 prior to fastening the same to the cover 12. A staple 18 has its arms passing through the plate 15, and the arms have their extremities riveted at 19 to the plate 16. A'headed rod 20 is inserted transversely of the upper part of the casing, so as to pass through the staple 18, and is provided with an eye 21 at its end opposite the head of the rod, for the reception of a padlock or the like 22, thereby locking the rod in place, and preventing the.

' cover 12 from being removed, until it is desired to remove'the empty cigar boX, for the insertion of a filled box. The lower portion 1' of the casing is provided with a partition 23 dividing the lower portion into upper and lower compartments Ql and 25. A

wood plate :26 is secured by screws 27 upon the under face of the partition 23, and em- 7 able stationary support- 34:, in order to receive the shackle of the usual form of padlock 35, thereby locking the base plate 32' to the lower part1 of the casing, and also looking the casing to a counter, shelf, or any other suitable stationarysupport. The slot 33 registers with the slot 36 of the base plate 32; This base plate 32 is provided with a heading 37, which surrounds the lower portion of the part 1 ofthe casing, thereby preventing'the lower edge portion of the part 1 from being separated from the 7 base plate to permit access to the coin compartment 25. of the casing is provided with a pairof openings 39 and -10, and a slide 41 is arranged in the comparti'nent 24 on the'partition 23. This slide adjacent its lower longitudinal sides is provided with flanges 42,

which engage the guides 43, whereby the V slide may be moved longitudinally of the lower part of the casing. The slide is provided with spaced pockets or recesses 44: and

4-5, which are disposed transversely and have their bottoms inclined downwardly and laterally toward the openings 39 and 40, which are-on aplane slightly below the bottoms of said pockets or recesses, particularly below the higher portions of the bottoms of said pockets.

The side of the lower part 1 of the easing, that is, the side havingthe openings 39 and 4-0, is provided with an elongated slot 46, through. which the shank 47 of the hand knob-48 extends, which shank is fixed to the slide- 11. Adjacent one side the partition 23 is provided with a slot 4-9, and secured to the "partition23 in order to register with the slot 19 is a coin chute 50, the upper extrem- V ity of a branch of which coin chute is fixed by means of the screw 51 and flange 52to the under faceof one end of the top of the part '1 ofthe casing. The coin chute branch 53 registers with the coin slot 5 1 of the cas- 'inga One side edge of the lower part of V the coin chute 50 is provided with a cutaway portion' 55, which; receives one end 56; of the detent 57 pivoted at 58 to the upperface of one of the guides 43. The end One side of the lower part 1 r 56 of the detent has a 'laterally'and clownwardly extending flange 59,,between which and one side edge of the coin chute 50, the 7 casing, and has its lower end fitting into an extension 62 of thecoin chute 50, there being a spring 63 between the extension 62 and the transverse pin 64 of the plunger 60. After depositing a coin'through the slot 5 1- into the branch 53, it gravitates into the chute 50, in order 'to'rest upon the downwardly and laterally extending flange 59 of the end 56' of the detent. The plunger is v then depressed so that its lower" end bears against the coin, in order to force it furtherbetween the detent and one side edge of the coin chute, in which case the detent is tilted upon its pivot '58 sufficiently, so that the, bent ends 6601-" thear'm 67 of the detent is moved to one side and sufficiently out of the path of theb'lock 68 of the slide, so that by grasping the hand knob as the slide maybe moved in one direction or the other; The detent is actuated agains't'the action of the leaf spring 69,'whichis secured at 70 tothe upper face of oneo-f the guides, 43; 7 It s to be noted that when the end 66 is moved out of the path of the block 68, the" slide may be moved in one direction or the other. However, as the slide is moved in one direction, thebentiend 66 of the detent; rides-or cams over the bulged portion/71- of tionally upon its pivot,thereby causing the end 56 of the detent to'release thecoin,

limited inits downward position sufficiently to only force the coin partially between the- H flange 59 ofjthe end 56of the detent and one SlClG' edge of the coin chute, so that'whenr the bent end 66 cams over thebulge 71, the end 56 will release the coin. On one side 7 7' of the lower part I of the casing on the interior thereof a supporting shelf or flange 7 3 is provided, which supports oneend of each of the lowermost cigars, 'while the higher part of the bottom of each pocket or recess 4 1' and 45' supports the opposite 7 fia'nge'59 and'oneside edge of the coin chute,

so'that the [bentfend 66"ofthe detent is moved sufficiently from thepath'offthe-block 68, whereby the slidemay befmov'ed. Say

forinstance," the slide is in: the position 7 shown inFigs; e mi- 3; when the coin 'is deposited in the coin chute, andhas: been pushed suiiiciently ,betweenithe'end 5610f 139" 19C said block 68, which tilts the detent addil V the detent and the side edge of the coin chute, to move the bent end 66 from the path of the block 68. The slide by grasping the hand knob 48 may then be moved in the direction of the arrow a, which will bring the cigar Z) in dotted lines in Figs. 8, moving one end of the cigar off the shelf or flange 73, so that the cigar Z) will slide out through the opening 40. When moving the slide in this way the bulge 71 further tilts the detent and releases the coin. At the same time moving the slide to this position and delivering the cigar b the bottommost cigar in the other compartment of the cigar box will fall into the pocket 44 so that one of its ends is supported by the shelf 73. A.

cigar is shown in dotted lines in the pocket.

44 in the act of passing out through the opening 39. Fig. 4 illustrates the position of the slide after having moved in the direction'of the arrow a. To deliver the cigar c in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the detent is tilted as before, to remove the bent end 66 of the detent from the path of the other end of the block 68, and in this case the slide may be moved in the direction of the arrow cl in Fig. 4:, so as to deliver the cigar 0 through the opening 39.

lhe invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a cigar vending machine, the combination of a casing having a plurality of compartments and a plurality of outlet openings, of a reciprocatory delivery memher having a plurality of cigar receiving pockets to alternately receive cigars from said compartments for delivery through said openings, and detent means for said member to be operated for releasing said member, whereby said member may alternately deliver cigars from said compartments, said detent means comprising an engageable abutment on said member, a detent lever to engage said abutment to hold the delivery member in one posit-ion or another, whereby first one and then another of said pockets alternately register with one of the compartments, means adapted to be actuated to push a coin against and partially operate said lever to move one end of the lever from the path of said abutment, whereby said member may deliver a cigar through one of said openings.

2. In a cigar vending machine, the combination of a casing having a plurality of compartments and a plurality of outlet openings, of a reciprocatory delivery mem- Copies of this patent may he obtained for her having a plurality of cigar receiving pockets to alternately receive cigars from said compartments for delivery through said openings, and detent means for said member to be operated for releasing said member, whereby said member may alternately deliver cigars from said compartments, said detent means comprising an engageable abutment on said member, a detent lever to engage said abutment to hold the delivery member in one position or another, whereby first one and then another of said pockets alternately register with one of the compartments, means adapted to be actuated to push a coin against and partially operate said lever to move one end of the lever from the path of said abutment, whereby said member may deliver a cigar through one of said openings, said abutment having a cam to be engaged by the lever to further oscillate-the lever to release said coin.

3. In a cigar vending machine, the combination of a casing having a plurality of compartments and a plurality of outlet openings, of a reciprocatory delivery memher having a plurality of cigar receiving pockets to alternately receive cigars from said compartments for delivery through said openings, and detent means for said member to be operated for releasing said member, whereby said member may alternately deliver cigars from said compartments, and means to support each successive cigar, while the preceding cigar is being delivered, said detent means comprising an engageable abutment on said member, a detent lever to engage said abutment to hold the delivery member in one position or another, whereby first one and then another of said pockets alternately register with one of the compartments, means adapted to be actuated to push a coin against and partially operate said lever to move one end of the lever from the path of said abutment, whereby said member may deliver a cigar through one of said openings, said abutment having a cam to be engaged by the lever to further oscillate the lever to release said coin.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT O. HOFFMAN.

Witnesses:

W. G. RHODES, WILLIAM J. BLooK.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. v 

